Hotel owners make changes after shorting workers’ pay

Nearly 100 workers at seven Michigan hotels will share $50,000 in back pay. The consent judgment was announced today.

Housekeepers and maintenance workers at the hotels in Grand Rapids and Monroe were paid less than minimum wage in some cases, didn’t get overtime pay, or were not paid fully for work they did before and after their shifts ended.

“If one company is paying a lot less than they’re supposed to, that’s hard for other companies that are following the law to be competitive,” Scott Allen, a Department of Labor spokesman said.

The complaints came from workers at Sleep Inn & Suites, Best Western Hospitality Hotel and Suites, Holiday Inn Express, Hawthorn Suites and Clarion Inn & Suites, of Grand Rapids; and the Red Roof Inn and America’s Best Value Inn & Suites, of Monroe.

The defendant’s attorney, Patrick Butler, said the “minor discrepancies” have been resolved. He says the owners have appointed a compliance director to oversee operations.

The owners agreed to change their practices at all 70 of their hotels in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.